Tangra Mountains

Geobox|Range
name=Tangra Mountains

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image_caption=Central Tangra Mountains
country=Antarctica | country_type=Continent
region_type =
region=Livingston Island
parent=
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highest=
highest_elevation=
highest_lat_d=|highest_lat_m=|highest_lat_s=|highest_lat_NS=S
highest_long_d=|highest_long_m=|highest_long_s=|highest_long_EW=E
geology= | period=| orogeny=

Tangra Mountains (in Bulgarian "Тангра Планина", "Tangra Planina") (coord|62|40|00|S|60|06|00|W|) form the principal mountain range of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The mountain had been nameless until 2001, when it was named after the supreme god Tangra of the ancient Bulgars.

Tangra Mountains are 30 km long between Barnard Point and Renier Point, 8 km wide, and are bounded by Moon Bay and Huron Glacier to the north, Huntress Glacier to the northwest, False Bay to the west, and Bransfield Strait to the southeast, and is linked to Bowles Ridge by Wörner Gap, and to Pliska Ridge by Nesebar Gap. The mountain is divided in three principal ridges: Friesland Ridge in the west, Levski Ridge in the centre, and Delchev Ridge in the east.

The peaks and slopes of Tangra are heavily glaciated, and drained by the glaciers Huron, Huntress, Ruen Icefall, Peshtera, Charity, Tarnovo Ice Piedmont, Prespa, Macy, Boyana, Srebarna, Magura, Dobrudzha, Ropotamo, Strandzha, Pautalia, Sopot Ice Piedmont, and Iskar.

Camp Academia in the northwestern foothills of Zograf Peak is the perfect gateway to central Tangra Mountains via Catalunyan Saddle (1260 m) to the south and Lozen Saddle (437 m) to the east. Catalunyan Saddle was occupied by a bivouac of the Tangra 2004/05 Exploration team on 14–16 December 2004.

Friesland Ridge

Friesland Ridge is 15.5 km long from Botev Point in the southwest to Shipka Saddle to the northeast. The summit Mount Friesland (coord|62|40|14.9|S|60|11|10.7|W|) rises to exactly 1700 m. Other main peaks are St. Boris (1665 m), Simeon (1576 m), St. Cyril (1505 m), Lyaskovets (1473 m), Presian Ridge (1456 m), St. Methodius (1180 m), Academia (1130 m), and Zograf (1011 m). First ascents: Mount Friesland by F. Sàbat and J. Enrique from Juan Carlos I Base in December 1991; Lyaskovets Peak by L. Ivanov and D. Vasilev from Camp Academia on 14 December 2004; and Zograf Peak by L. Ivanov from Camp Academia on 31 December 2004.

Levski Ridge

Levski Ridge is 8 km long between Shipka Saddle to the west and Devin Saddle to the east, and 8 km wide between Cherepish Ridge to the north and Christoff Cliff to the south. The summit Great Needle Peak (coord|62|40|15|S|60|03|10|W|) rises to near 1700 m. Other main peaks are Levski (1430 m), St. Ivan Rilski Col (1350 m), Helmet (1254 m), Serdica (1200 m), Vihren (1150 m), Ongal (1149 m), and Plovdiv (1040 m). First ascents: Ongal Peak and Komini Peak (774 m) by L. Ivanov from Camp Academia on 21 December 2004.

Delchev Ridge

Delchev Ridge is 10 km long between Devin Saddle to the west and Renier Point to the east. The summit Delchev Peak (coord|62|38|28|S|59|56|16|W|) rises to 940 m, other main peaks are Ruse (800 m), Asen (800 m), Peter (800 m), Kuber (770 m), Elena (700 m), Spartacus (650 m), Yavorov (640 m), and Paisiy (550 m).

Mapping

British mapping of the mountains in 1968, Spanish mapping in 1991, and Bulgarian mapping in 2005 from topographic surveys in 1995/96 and 2004/05.

See also

* Geographical features on Livingston Island
* Antarctic Place-names Commission
* St. Kliment Ohridski Base
* Camp Academia
* Tangra 2004/05 Expedition
* Bansko Peak

References

* L.L. Ivanov, Livingston Island: Tangra Mountains, Komini Peak, west slope new rock route; Lyaskovets Peak, first ascent; Zograf Peak, first ascent; Vidin Heights, Melnik Peak, Melnik Ridge, first ascent, "The American Alpine Journal", 2005, 312-315
* Livingston Island, "Climb Magazine", Issue 14, Kettering, UK, April 2006, 89-91

External links

* [http://apc.mfa.government.bg/ Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria]
* [http://www.tangra2004bg.org/new_uk.htm Tangra 2004/05 Expedition]
* [http://www.theomegafoundation.org/livingston03.htm Expedition Omega Livingston 2003]